Abstract: Blood vessels play an essential function in whole-body physiology by supplying oxygen and nutrients to almost every tissue in the body. In addition to being a nutrient transport network, blood vessels perform tissue-specialised roles to regulate critical processes in organs, e.g. lung ECs exchange gases, and kidney ECs filter fluids. In this talk, I will show our findings on the role of blood vessels in the skeletal system. The critical role of blood vessels in physiological, pathological and regenerative bone functions has been well recognised. However, the interaction of blood vessels with other cell types in the bone microenvironment during blood cell production and bone formation has not been well understood. I will first describe blood vessel organisation, subtypes and dynamics over time in the bone. I will then discuss our recent work identifying a new osteoclasts subtype and its relation to blood vessels. The findings extend our fundamental understanding of blood vessel functions in age-related bone loss, fracture healing, arthritis and cancer.

Biography: Dr Saravana Ramasamy is a Sir Henry Dale Fellow and heads the 'integrative skeletal physiology' group at the Institute of Clinical Sciences in Imperial College London. His team is interested in understanding blood vessel functions in skeletal health and disease.

Trained as a regenerative biologist during his PhD, Saravana moved to Professor Ralf Adams laboratory in Max Planck Institute Germany to study blood vessels. His pioneering works on the identification of blood vessel subtypes and coupling of angiogenesis and osteogenesis have been highly appreciated in the field. His work advanced our understanding of blood vessels in bone.

Saravana has received many prestigious awards for his work, including the young investigator award from the European Molecular Biology Organisation, the Rising Star award and Harold Frost Young Investigator award from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.